Meet DJ Sharon O’Love: The UK Powerhouse Opening PHYSICAL on Pride Night

Before Ben Bakson takes over the decks at midnight on June 6, somebody has to get that dance floor ready. Somebody has to set the mood, build the energy, and make sure that by the time the headliner walks up, the crowd is already dripping and delirious.

That somebody is Sharon O’Love. And if you don’t know her name yet, you’re about to.

Nottingham Roots, Global Dance Floors

Sharon O’Love is from Nottingham, England — and she’s been doing this for over 20 years. That’s not a typo. While most people were still figuring out what an MP3 was, Sharon was already behind the decks, cutting her teeth in the UK’s legendary trance scene at clubs like Gatecrasher, Passion, and Creamfields.

In 2004, she dropped her first release — a club remix of “Fast Car” with 3 Elements on Xtravaganza Recordings. It got hammered on BBC Radio 1 and Galaxy before disappearing from release schedules (long before Jonas Blue had the same idea, for the record). But by then, Sharon had already pivoted. She’d found her people — the queer dance floor — and she never looked back.

Two Decades on the Circuit

Sharon’s résumé reads like a map of every major queer party in Europe and beyond. She’s played WE Party, Matinée, Rapido, Sexy, Forever, and Milkshake Festival. She holds residencies at Funhouse in Amsterdam, Sexy in Cologne, Essential in Manchester, NY Club in Munich, and Drama in Antwerp. She’s worked Pride events in Amsterdam, Madrid, Cologne, Frankfurt, Paris, Vienna, Birmingham, Manchester, Miami, New York, and San Diego.

On the international circuit, she’s played Cherry in Washington D.C., Hydrate in Chicago, M.E.A.T in New York, Urge in Miami, Lookout in San Francisco, Prism in Toronto, and Unite Music Festival in San Diego. She’s spun in Mexico, Brazil, Dubai, and Canada. The woman gets around — and everywhere she goes, the floor goes off.

The Sound: Trance DNA, Circuit Heart

Sharon’s sound carries the DNA of where she started. Those early years in the UK trance scene gave her an ear for builds, drama, and emotional release that most circuit DJs simply don’t have. Her production style — signed to Queen House Music — has been described as a blend of trance and progressive, uplifting house music. She creates her own exclusive mash-ups and edits that you literally cannot hear from any other DJ.

She’s also a radio show host on Pride Radio UK (89.2FM & DAB), where her show “DJS Estereo” spotlights new music, club classics, and guest interviews. Her recent collaborations with Soundwave and Nina Flowers on tracks like “Amoeba Life” put her right alongside the top tier of queer dance music producers. And her latest track with Soundwave, “Shine Bright, Stay Proud,” was the official Winter Pride 2025 anthem.

But here’s what really makes Sharon special: she describes herself as having an empathic connection with her floors. She reads the room not just with her ears but with her gut. She believes music feeds the soul, that it’s feel-good music played from the heart, and that every set is a conversation between her and the crowd.

Why She’s the Perfect Opener for PHYSICAL

An opener at a party like PHYSICAL isn’t just filling time before the headliner. The opener sets the entire emotional arc of the night. They’re the one who takes a room full of strangers and turns them into a dance floor. By the time Ben Bakson steps up at midnight, the crowd needs to already be locked in, loose, and ready to go to another level.

Sharon O’Love has been doing exactly that — at clubs and festivals across four continents — for over two decades. She’s loud. She’s queer. She’s got 20 years of trance-trained instincts and a catalog of exclusive edits nobody else can play. And she’s coming to The Fillmore on Pride Saturday to make sure that by the time the clock strikes twelve, Philadelphia is already on fire.

Doors open at 9. Sharon takes the stage. And from the very first beat, PHYSICAL begins.